Planet Rugby runs through the winners and losers from Erasmus's selection for the Rugby's Greatest Rivalry series opener against the All Blacks. The headline call is Feinberg-Mngomezulu getting the 10 jersey ahead of both Pollard and Libbok — a significant show of faith given his patchy return from injury against Argentina. Equally notable is Pollard's complete omission from the 23, with Libbok taking the bench playmaker role instead. De Allende earns his 100th cap, Du Toit takes the captaincy with his own century a match away, and Grant Williams edges Reinach for the nine jersey. Up front, the Nche-Louw prop pairing signals a deliberate scrum-targeting strategy against the All Blacks. On the losers' side, beyond Kolisi's hamstring setback, Thomas du Toit loses out at tighthead despite a strong Bath season, Fassi drops out for Willemse at fullback, and both Hanekom — coming off a player-of-the-match display in Buenos Aires — and Lood de Jager miss the cut entirely.
Ellis Park XI dissected: De Allende hits 100, Feinberg-Mngomezulu backed to bounce back, and Pollard left out entirely
Erasmus's team for the All Blacks opener features Feinberg-Mngomezulu at 10 with Pollard left out of the 23 altogether, a Nche-Louw scrum strategy, Du Toit stepping up as captain, and De Allende reaching 100 caps — while Hanekom, Thomas du Toit and de Jager are the unlucky omissions.
Syndesmosis injury could keep Feinberg-Mngomezulu out for three months
Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu faces a three-month absence after suffering a syndesmosis injury in the Stormers' URC quarter-final win over Cardiff, potentially ruling him out of the Nations Championship Tests and part of the All Blacks series.
All Blacks' loosehead crisis hands Springboks a ready-made weapon in Greatest Rivalry Series
Jeff Wilson has publicly identified loosehead prop as the All Blacks' most dangerous weakness ahead of four consecutive Tests against the Springboks — with Williams likely out, Tu'ungafasi's future uncertain, and the remaining options short on caps and experience. Set against the depth Erasmus has built across the prop positions, this piece maps out why scrum time could be where the Greatest Rivalry Series is decided.
Erasmus: winning stays non-negotiable, whatever the World Cup build-up demands
Erasmus has made his 2025 season intent explicit: rotation and World Cup-building happen inside a framework where winning remains the non-negotiable baseline. The piece breaks down what that means for squad management, the veterans' standing, and why the All Blacks series carries extra weight.
Feinberg-Mngomezulu ankle injury puts Rugby Nations Championship opener in doubt
Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu will miss at least the first three rounds of the Rugby Nations Championship after injuring his ankle in the Stormers' URC quarterfinal win over Cardiff, adding to a growing list of Springbok halfback concerns that already includes Cobus Reinach's knee injury.
Matfield unbothered by SFM injury — backs Pollard, Libbok and a resurgent Papier
Matfield is relaxed about SFM's likely three-month absence, backing Pollard and Libbok to cover at 10 while making a strong case that Papier — despite a decimated scrum-half pool — is playing well enough to be a genuine asset rather than a contingency.